Posted by Allison | November 18, 2013 | Comments Off on Are You Using Social Media Correctly?

Setting up your business’s social media accounts is important, but going into social media with the right mindset is also very important. Like other areas of your business, social media requires skills and experience as well as strategic thinking! Social media can be a powerful part of your business, if done correctly.

Use these questions as a checklist to see if you’re effectively using social media!

Do you have a plan? Your business should have not a “tweet-by-tweet” strategy! All your social media posts and decisions should be based around a social media strategy. Your strategy should be developed based on what your audience needs from each social property, so that you can constantly be sure you’re providing them with valuable and relevant information.

Are you working with others? The key to a great social media strategy is coordinating your efforts with other departments (if you have them) so that everyone is on the same page and working towards the same goal. Another idea is to work to share content and expertise with your network. Reach out to Pros You Know to see if you want to work together to share relevant content and get added exposure to each other’s audiences. Networking is very valuable and establishing mutually beneficial relationships in the industry pays off. Not only does working with a variety of people spurn more creativity, but it also helps your social media efforts to be more effective and less boring!

Have you identified thought leaders? Identifying the key influencers and top educational resources in your given industry and posting their content makes you a resource, and enhances both your networks. Follow their good examples when planning your strategy and build relationships with them by mentioning their accounts when you post!

Are you measuring your successes? Like all other areas of business, social media should be measurable. Most social networks have recognized this need, and have added their own analytics – Facebook, Pinterest and LinkedIn all offer some sort of insights for business pages. You can also use link-tracking services like Bitly to track the clicks on your social links. You can also configure Google Analytics to see how the amount and types of traffic social media is sending to your website. By reviewing the most effective content and types of posts that resonate with your audiences, you can hone your strategy and share more of that type of content to grow your audience reach!

Are you listening? Don’t start posting on social media if you’re not ready to react and respond to anyone trying to interact with your brand. Make sure you listen to your audience! Interacting with your fans builds relationships and keeps your customers happy. Tools like Hootsuite are inexpensive and let you monitor your networks easily. It is also important to dedicate a small amount of time to social media each day to make sure you are connecting with your audience, addressing questions or comments, and maintaining an active brand. Make social posting a part of your daily routine.

Whether you’re just setting up your social media accounts or just need a refresher, answering these questions will help you identify whether or not your business is using social media in a meaningful and quantifiable way! Use them as guidelines so you can always be sure you’re going about it the right way.